"In the happy moments, praise God.
In the difficult moments, seek God.
In the quiet moments, trust God.
In every moment, thank God."
_______________________________________
WITHOUT GOD, OUR WEEK WOULD BE:
SINDAY, MOURNDAY, TEARSDAY, WASTEDAY
THIRSTDAY, FIGHTDAY & SHATTERDAY
REMEMBER, SEVEN DAYS WITHOUT GOD,
MAKES ONE WEAK!!!
Ladies Night
Ladies of the church, this invitation is just for you! You are invited to begin with us on Monday, Sept.12@ 6 PM as we meet for a unique time of fellowship, bible study, prayer and bonding as sisters and friends in Christ. For the ladies that may need childcare, that has been arranged, so please bring the children and come join us. We have decided to begin with a Max Lucado study: The Path to Greatness, Studies on Trials. I am very excited to lead the studies, but most importantly I look forward to the growth we will all experience spiritually and as a family.
The word also teaches us that the younger generations can learn much from the older generations’ and their experiences. We are blessed with so many diverse ages and backgrounds that we could all learn from. I know personally that I have not had the privilege to fellowship with many of you and now there have been new ladies join our fold. This is the time and the season the ladies of the church can meet, study and grow in the Lord together.
Several benefits can come from this special group:
v Women will have a safe place of healing, nurturing, spiritual growth, prayer with other believers, discovering gifts and talents to be used in ministry.
v Bond together the women of Clapp’s Chapel UMC.
v Mentor each other as only women can for women.
v Identify and strengthen ourselves as stronger Christian mothers, professionals, friends, daughters, sisters, and wives.
There have been two verses of scripture on my heart I would like to share with you:
We look forward to beginning this journey together. I hope to see you at our first session. We will meet in the Fellowship Hall.
Love in Christ,
Leah Bowling
The word also teaches us that the younger generations can learn much from the older generations’ and their experiences. We are blessed with so many diverse ages and backgrounds that we could all learn from. I know personally that I have not had the privilege to fellowship with many of you and now there have been new ladies join our fold. This is the time and the season the ladies of the church can meet, study and grow in the Lord together.
Several benefits can come from this special group:
v Women will have a safe place of healing, nurturing, spiritual growth, prayer with other believers, discovering gifts and talents to be used in ministry.
v Bond together the women of Clapp’s Chapel UMC.
v Mentor each other as only women can for women.
v Identify and strengthen ourselves as stronger Christian mothers, professionals, friends, daughters, sisters, and wives.
There have been two verses of scripture on my heart I would like to share with you:
For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them." Matthew 18:20
44All the believers were together and had everything in common. 45Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. 46Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, 47praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved. Acts 2:44-47 (NIV)
We look forward to beginning this journey together. I hope to see you at our first session. We will meet in the Fellowship Hall.
Love in Christ,
Leah Bowling
The Old Telephone Box.
When I was a young boy, my father had one of the first telephones in our neighborhood.. I remember the polished old case fastened to the wall. The shiny receiver hung on the side of the box. I was too little to reach the telephone, but used to listen with fascination when my mother talked to it.
Then I discovered that somewhere inside the wonderful device lived
an amazing person. Her name was "Information Please" and there was nothing she did not know. Information Please could supply anyone's number and the correct time. My personal experience with the genie-in-a-bottle came one day while my mother was visiting a neighbor. Amusing myself at the tool bench in the basement, I whacked my finger with a hammer, the pain was terrible, but
there seemed no point in crying because there was no one home to give sympathy.
I walked around the house sucking my throbbing finger, finally
arriving at the stairway. The telephone! Quickly, I ran for the footstool in the parlor and dragged it to the landing. Climbing up, I unhooked the receiver in the parlor and held it to my ear. "Information, please" I said into the mouthpiece just above my head. A click or two and a small clear voice spoke into my ear.
"Information." "I hurt my finger.." I wailed into the phone, the
tears came readily enough Now that I had an audience.
"Isn't your mother home?" came the question.
"Nobody's home but me," I blubbered.
"Are you bleeding?" the voice asked.
"No," I replied. "I hit my finger with the hammer and it hurts."
"Can you open the icebox?" she asked.I said I could.
"Then chip off a little bit of ice and hold it to your finger," said
the voice..
After that, I called "Information Please" for everything.. I asked
her for Help with my geography, and she told me where Philadelphia was.
She helped me with my math.
She told me my pet chipmunk that I had caught in the park just the
day before, would eat fruit and nuts.
Then, there was the time Petey, our pet canary, died. I called
Information Please," and told her the sad story.. She listened, and
then said things grown-ups say to soothe a child. But I was not consoled.
I asked her, "Why is it that birds should sing so beautifully and bring joy
to all families, only to end up as a heap of feathers on the bottom of a cage?"
She must have sensed my deep concern, for she said quietly, " Wayne , always remember that there are other worlds to sing in."
Somehow I felt better.
Another day I was on the telephone, "Information Please."
"Information," said in the now familiar voice. "How do I spell fix?"
I asked. All this took place in a small town in the Pacific Northwest . When I was nine years old, we moved across the country to Boston. I missed my friend very much.
"Information Please" belonged in that old wooden box back home and I Somehow never thought of trying the shiny new phone that sat on the table in the hall.. As I grew into my teens, the memories of those childhood conversations never really left me..
Often, in moments of doubt and perplexity I would recall the serene
sense of security I had then. I appreciated now how patient,
understanding, and kind she was to have spent her time on a little boy. A few years later, on my way west to college, my plane put down in Seattle I had about a half-hour or so between planes. I spent 15 minutes or so on the phone with my sister, who lived there now. Then without thinking what I was doing, I dialed my hometown operator and said, "Information Please." Miraculously, I heard the small, clear voice I knew so well.? "Information." I hadn't planned this, but I heard myself saying,
"Could you please tell me how to spell fix?"
There was a long pause. Then came the soft spoken answer, "I guess your finger must have healed by now."
I laughed, "So it's really you," I said. "I wonder if you have any
Idea how much you meant to me during that time?"
I wonder," she said, "if you know how much your call meant to me. I never had any children and I used to look forward to your calls."?
I told her how often I had thought of her over the years and I asked
if I could call her again when I came back to visit my sister.
"Please do", she said. "Just ask for Sally."
Three months later I was back in Seattle .. A different voice
answered, "Information." I asked for Sally.
"Are you a friend?" she said.
"Yes, a very old friend," I answered.
"I'm sorry to have to tell you this,"She said. "Sally had been
working part time the last few years because she was sick. She died five weeks ago."
Before I could hang up, she said, "Wait a minute, did you say your
name was Wayne ?" Yes." I answered.
"Well, Sally left a message for you. She wrote it down in case you
called. Let me read it to you." The note said "Tell him there are other worlds to sing in. He'llknow what I mean."
I thanked her and hung up. I knew what Sally meant.?
Never underestimate the impression you may make on others.. Whoselife have you touched today?
Then I discovered that somewhere inside the wonderful device lived
an amazing person. Her name was "Information Please" and there was nothing she did not know. Information Please could supply anyone's number and the correct time. My personal experience with the genie-in-a-bottle came one day while my mother was visiting a neighbor. Amusing myself at the tool bench in the basement, I whacked my finger with a hammer, the pain was terrible, but
there seemed no point in crying because there was no one home to give sympathy.
I walked around the house sucking my throbbing finger, finally
arriving at the stairway. The telephone! Quickly, I ran for the footstool in the parlor and dragged it to the landing. Climbing up, I unhooked the receiver in the parlor and held it to my ear. "Information, please" I said into the mouthpiece just above my head. A click or two and a small clear voice spoke into my ear.
"Information." "I hurt my finger.." I wailed into the phone, the
tears came readily enough Now that I had an audience.
"Isn't your mother home?" came the question.
"Nobody's home but me," I blubbered.
"Are you bleeding?" the voice asked.
"No," I replied. "I hit my finger with the hammer and it hurts."
"Can you open the icebox?" she asked.I said I could.
"Then chip off a little bit of ice and hold it to your finger," said
the voice..
After that, I called "Information Please" for everything.. I asked
her for Help with my geography, and she told me where Philadelphia was.
She helped me with my math.
She told me my pet chipmunk that I had caught in the park just the
day before, would eat fruit and nuts.
Then, there was the time Petey, our pet canary, died. I called
Information Please," and told her the sad story.. She listened, and
then said things grown-ups say to soothe a child. But I was not consoled.
I asked her, "Why is it that birds should sing so beautifully and bring joy
to all families, only to end up as a heap of feathers on the bottom of a cage?"
She must have sensed my deep concern, for she said quietly, " Wayne , always remember that there are other worlds to sing in."
Somehow I felt better.
Another day I was on the telephone, "Information Please."
"Information," said in the now familiar voice. "How do I spell fix?"
I asked. All this took place in a small town in the Pacific Northwest . When I was nine years old, we moved across the country to Boston. I missed my friend very much.
"Information Please" belonged in that old wooden box back home and I Somehow never thought of trying the shiny new phone that sat on the table in the hall.. As I grew into my teens, the memories of those childhood conversations never really left me..
Often, in moments of doubt and perplexity I would recall the serene
sense of security I had then. I appreciated now how patient,
understanding, and kind she was to have spent her time on a little boy. A few years later, on my way west to college, my plane put down in Seattle I had about a half-hour or so between planes. I spent 15 minutes or so on the phone with my sister, who lived there now. Then without thinking what I was doing, I dialed my hometown operator and said, "Information Please." Miraculously, I heard the small, clear voice I knew so well.? "Information." I hadn't planned this, but I heard myself saying,
"Could you please tell me how to spell fix?"
There was a long pause. Then came the soft spoken answer, "I guess your finger must have healed by now."
I laughed, "So it's really you," I said. "I wonder if you have any
Idea how much you meant to me during that time?"
I wonder," she said, "if you know how much your call meant to me. I never had any children and I used to look forward to your calls."?
I told her how often I had thought of her over the years and I asked
if I could call her again when I came back to visit my sister.
"Please do", she said. "Just ask for Sally."
Three months later I was back in Seattle .. A different voice
answered, "Information." I asked for Sally.
"Are you a friend?" she said.
"Yes, a very old friend," I answered.
"I'm sorry to have to tell you this,"She said. "Sally had been
working part time the last few years because she was sick. She died five weeks ago."
Before I could hang up, she said, "Wait a minute, did you say your
name was Wayne ?" Yes." I answered.
"Well, Sally left a message for you. She wrote it down in case you
called. Let me read it to you." The note said "Tell him there are other worlds to sing in. He'llknow what I mean."
I thanked her and hung up. I knew what Sally meant.?
Never underestimate the impression you may make on others.. Whoselife have you touched today?
Warning to the Rich and Me.
1 Come now, you rich people! Weep and wail over the miseries that are coming on you. 2 Your wealth is ruined: your clothes are moth-eaten; 3 your silver and gold are corroded, and their corrosion will be a witness against you and will eat your flesh like fire. You stored up treasure in the last days! 4 Look! The pay that you withheld from the workers who reaped your fields cries out, and the outcry of the harvesters has reached the ears of the Lord of Hosts.5 You have lived luxuriously on the land and have indulged yourselves. You have fattened your hearts for the day of slaughter. (HCSB James 5; 1-5)
I am not rich or fattening myself for slaughter, Or am I? I make 40k a year. I have four T.V.'s in my house of four people and two vehicles. We always have food to eat and clothes to wear. My kids have toys and play organized sports. If I am honest with my self, we want for nothing. We live in a temperature controlled house that we own and go to a Doctor anytime we get sick. Sounds pretty rich to me!
We read from Deuteronomy in Men's Group this week which layed out how we should treat the poor and needy. As I came to the realization that I do not share with the truly poor and needy the way I should, James chapter 5 was read aloud by one of the men. That is when I realized......... I am fattening my self for harvest. It is time to quit being mesmerized by all the shinny things we are blessed with today and follow Gods wishes for us to not be consumed by our wants, while others needs are not being met. Our wealth is worthless in God's eyes if we only indulge ourselves with it. He has blessed us with fortune but also given us great responsibility. God bless
I am not rich or fattening myself for slaughter, Or am I? I make 40k a year. I have four T.V.'s in my house of four people and two vehicles. We always have food to eat and clothes to wear. My kids have toys and play organized sports. If I am honest with my self, we want for nothing. We live in a temperature controlled house that we own and go to a Doctor anytime we get sick. Sounds pretty rich to me!
We read from Deuteronomy in Men's Group this week which layed out how we should treat the poor and needy. As I came to the realization that I do not share with the truly poor and needy the way I should, James chapter 5 was read aloud by one of the men. That is when I realized......... I am fattening my self for harvest. It is time to quit being mesmerized by all the shinny things we are blessed with today and follow Gods wishes for us to not be consumed by our wants, while others needs are not being met. Our wealth is worthless in God's eyes if we only indulge ourselves with it. He has blessed us with fortune but also given us great responsibility. God bless
UMM SMALL GROUP STUDY ON STEWARDSHIP
Monday evening we completed our fourth lesson, “EARTHKEEPERS”, based on Psalm 104, Psalm 108 and Leviticus 25. Stewardship is more than managing our money. In Genesis we learn that throughout creation week God declared that all He had made was “good”. God delights in His creations.. It responds by praising Him and proclaims to the world that there is a Creator.
In this lesson we learned:
God’s care extends beyond human beings to all of His Creation.
God commands that we care for the earth when He gave us “dominion” over all He made...
We are God’s partners in caring for the earth. We should serve God by ruling over His creation in a way that does not spoil it.
The Good News is, God has put us in charge of everything we see. We are not the owner but the caretaker, “STEWARD”, of this marvelous universe that God created. This is both a humbling responsibility and an incredible honor.
Next Monday we begin a new session entitled the “COMPASSIONATE RULE”. We have some very interesting discussions in our diverse small group. No one tries to insist that their idea is the only one, but we try to find God’s meaning by allowing the Holy Spirit to speak to and thru us.
Our group is open to all men so please consider joining us Monday at 7pm and bring a friend or a neighbor.. You will receive a blessing.
Ladies, you are not forgotten, because next month there will be a Small Group beginning for you. For more information see Leah Bowling.
In this lesson we learned:
God’s care extends beyond human beings to all of His Creation.
God commands that we care for the earth when He gave us “dominion” over all He made...
We are God’s partners in caring for the earth. We should serve God by ruling over His creation in a way that does not spoil it.
The Good News is, God has put us in charge of everything we see. We are not the owner but the caretaker, “STEWARD”, of this marvelous universe that God created. This is both a humbling responsibility and an incredible honor.
Next Monday we begin a new session entitled the “COMPASSIONATE RULE”. We have some very interesting discussions in our diverse small group. No one tries to insist that their idea is the only one, but we try to find God’s meaning by allowing the Holy Spirit to speak to and thru us.
Our group is open to all men so please consider joining us Monday at 7pm and bring a friend or a neighbor.. You will receive a blessing.
Ladies, you are not forgotten, because next month there will be a Small Group beginning for you. For more information see Leah Bowling.
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